The HalfBlood Inn
by Maximus Artilius
Summary: Take a seat, theres always room for one more, and enjoy the life and tales of The Half-Blood Inn, a place where you can stop after a weary day. You will always make friends here, there's no lack in conversation. read as you watch the lives of the patrons and staff unfold before you. From the FanFic writer who brought you Pariahs of Chaos, this tale will leave you breath taken AU


**Hey dudes and dudettes; how are you all? **

**Well I'm writing this story whilst I work on my others, its just kinda filling the gaps of time I have between writing, I hope you all enjoy it, and if you do, check out my other stories. There's Pariahs of Chaos, that's another Percy Jackson one, Outcasts, a Dark-Pokemon one (You have been warned), also No Matter the Cost, a Starship Troopers one, and finally and Hunger Games one called, A Force To Be Reckoned With.**

**I have been inspired to write this tale by the amazing song, Piano Man by Billy Joel, and also by the amazing un-finished story Golden Sun: Piano Man by the legendary Triad Orion.**

**In this story, there are no gods or monsters or anything like that, just let your mind fill with ease, put on Billy Joel's Piano Man, and read. This tale is set in New York, modern day.**

**Well, here goes this one, I hope you like it, and please review. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, or Piano Man, both of them are owned by Rick Riordan, and Billy Joel**

It was nine 'o clock on a Saturday, and the regular crowd shuffled in. The man at the bar looked out over the small crowd taking their usual seats around the bar and tables. The man at the bar held a glass in one hand, and a cloth in the other, and was turning one over the other in his worn palms, polishing the glass so much that it gleamed like diamond in the low lighting. The Barman's name was Chiron Underwood, and his eyes seemed to be almost as old as the legend of his name. His face was worn, and different emotions made many different lines across his features. A small beard lay on his chin, the brown hairs with specks of grey and white matching the hair on his head. The voices of his patrons rang across his ears like water going down a stream. A young man walked up to the bar, an empty tray in his hands, and a crooked smile on his face. His hair was brown, matching Chiron', which was no surprise as he was Chiron's son, however, unlike his father, the young man's hair grew wild at many different lengths, whilst Chiron's was all short.

"Hey Dad, we've got the usual group for table nine, they'd like another round put onto their tab." The young man said, placing the tray onto the bar. Chiron nodded to his son, swiftly poured a bunch of foaming beers, and placed them on the tray in one graceful movement which could have only had come decades of experience.

"Here you go." Chiron said passing back the tray. "And Grover? Tell the boys to get ready, their on in ten minutes."

Grover nodded, and then placed the order on the table, handed out the drinks, and then received a generous tip.

"Thanks a lot." Grover said sincerely as here placed his tray under his arm, and walked through the bar, passing different tables, and picking up many conversations on his way through.

"…The real estate today, I tell ya…"

"…Been in the Navy seven years now…"

"…More booze…"

"…Have you heard the music here…"

That last comment Grover picked up brought a smile to his lips, the boys will be happy with that people are talking about them. He finally wove his way past the last of the patrons and through the door marked Staff Only. In front of him was a short corridor, and to his left, the stairs which lead to the apartment where he and his dad lived. He walked down the corridor, and then faced the door at the end. He gave it a quick knock, before opening the door.

Inside the small bedroom were two young men sitting n next to a table. Both of them had playing cards in their hands, and some were placed on the table. They were both around Grover's age, both with black hair, but that's where their similarities ended. The taller of the two had tanned skin, and his black hair was messy and reached the edge of his eyes. He wore plain jeans, a black t-shirt with a picture of the titanic sinking and the words "ooops" next to it. On top of that he wore a black suit jacket, giving even the tiny bit of illusion that he was well dressed.

The shorter of the two had combed his dark hair to one side, and the rest of it was just as neat. He wore a pair of black trousers, a black shirt with rolled up sleeves and a white tie, showing him to be a lot better coordinated in the wardrobe department than his counterpart.

"Hey Percy, Nico, Dad wants you on in five minutes, better get your places set." Grover told them before ducking out of the door again. Nico looked over at his friend and Percy looked back and nodded.

They both got up, and went through the door, and followed Grover into the bar. As they entered back through the Staff Only door, Grover walked straight into someone, knocking them both to the floor.

"Dammit, get off me!" A voice said from under him. Grover got up quickly revealing the form of a young woman under him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there; I'm sorry, let me help you up." Grover said, flustering over his clumsiness. Grover helped her to her feet, and then she noticed the two behind him, and she immediately brightened up.

"Oh, are you two playing tonight?" She asked. Percy gave a short nod and then went over to the small stage, with Nico trailing them. Thalia looked slightly confused and turned back to Grover.

"What's up with them?" She asked, picking up the tray she dropped in the collision. Grover offered her a small smile, and asked.

"You're the new waitress aren't you?" The young woman nodded.

"Yeah, that's me, name's Thalia, Thalia Grace." She said sticking her hand out to Grover, the memory of him falling on her forgotten. Grover smiled and shook her hand gently.

"Grover Underwood, and about those two; they're not very talkative with new people, they'll get used to you." He said, and with that he made his way back to the bar. Thalia followed him, and waited by the bar for an order.

"How'd you know they played?" Grover said, mimicking his father by cleaning a glass with a cloth.

"I came here a few weeks ago for a drink before I applied for the job, I heard them then, and they were great." Thalia said as she watched Nico take his place at the piano on the stage and start to warm up his fingers with long stretches. Percy opened up the locked cupboard with a key from his pocket and then pulled out a violin case. He laid the case on the piano and then removed the violin. It was a marvellous piece. The wooden violin was strung perfectly, and sweeping carvings were etched into the wood and inlaid with black. Percy gazed at it intensely, and then rubbed off a minute smudge on the musical artwork.

"That's a beautiful piece." Thalia said, more to herself than to anyone else.

"That it is." A deep voice said behind her. Thalia turned quickly and came face to face with Chiron leaning over the bar.

"When they first came here, that's all Percy had on him." He said to her, his eyes not leaving the duo on stage.

"How long have they been here?" Thalia asked, as Percy then plucked a few strings net to his ear.

"Four years, since Percy was seventeen, Nico was sixteen. They just turned up one night, offering to be entertainment. I turned them down at first, but they came night after night after night, so I gave in, they've been playing for me ever since, the amount of cash they've brought in is…" Chiron said, but then Nico slammed his hands down on the keys of the piano, grabbing the attention of every patron in the bar. Chiron quickly grabbed something from under the bar, and placed it in the middle of the counter, next to the till. It was a large jar with the words "_Percy and Nico's Tips_" written on the label. Chiron nodded to Nico who was looking at him, who then nodded back, and then dramatically stretched out his hands in front of him. Thalia heard some of the patrons mutter about the interruption, but then a melody flooded its way through the bar from the piano. Nico's eyes were completely focused on the keys, his hands dancing across them like blurs. After a few seconds, Percy's violin started to float its notes through the air, joining with the piano's combining to make a sweet, but powerful song. Thalia smiled as the notes danced around her and the other patrons, changing the atmosphere of the bar into a lighter one. The many people sitting at tables and on bar stools all smiled, and went back to their conversations, but always keeping an ear on the delightful music coming from the stage. Chiron clicked his fingers at Thalia, getting her attention.

"You've got an order, table six." He said, passing her two plates which she placed on her tray.

"Sure thing." Thalia said, picking up the tray, and moving through the crowd.

She arrived at the table and found a man and woman sitting there. Both of them with their attention solely on the two boys playing music. Thalia flicked them a glance, and saw that Percy had his eyes shut, completely focusing on the music, and Nico was staring so hard at the keys that he might have bored holes into them.

"Here's the order." Thalia told them, and the man turned his head towards her. He had long golden hair that reached just to his chin, and the face of a model. He flashed Thalia a quick smile, which made her blush and then said.

"Do these guys play here often?" He said his voice as smooth as the surface of a diamond. Thalia blushed again and nodded her head.

"Yeah, they do, but I've only just started working here, you'll want to talk to Chiron or Grover if you want details." Thalia told him. The woman turned towards her then, and Thalia saw that She. Was. Stunning.

Her face could have easily made her a super model, or a movie star, or both, but the most attracting feature was her hair. It looked like pure silver, cascading down onto her shoulders perfectly.

"Do you like them?" She asked _her_ voice even smoother than her companions. Thalia nodded.

"I love their music, it's so…I mean…I dunno, it's just…" Thalia started but couldn't find the words to explain the way their music worked, but the two at the table nodded understandingly. The guy then pulled out his wallet, and handed me the money for the food, and a very generous tip.

"Thanks." Thalia said to them, but they'd already turned their heads back towards Nico and Percy. Thalia left them and went around collecting empty glasses and plates. Her concentration was still on the music being played beautifully by the two young men. She glanced up to them, and was shocked to see that her eyes met with Percy's. They kept eye contact for a few moments before he looked back down at his violin. Thalia looked back where she was going, and luckily managed to avoid a man in a full business suit.

"Watch it honey!" He said slurring is words, obviously drunk. Thalia rolled my eyes at him, and turned to go, but then felt a hand wrap around her waist and pull her back.

"Hey, you're kinda hot, how 'bout we get outta here." The businessman said into her ear, his breath causing her to wrinkle her nose.

"Not a chance bozo" Thalia snarled back trying to wriggle her way free. The businessman held her tighter, and then turned her to face him.

"I'll take those odds." He said leaning in for a kiss. Thalia pulled her head back, but one's neck can only go so far. His lips were an inch away, when a deep voice said.

"Excuse me."

The businessman turned his head, and then was roughly dragged up by his collar into the air. Towering above him was a massive, near seven-foot man, rough features were on his face, and tattooed onto his hands were eyes, as were most of his body.

"This guy bothering you?" The giant said grimly, his voice carrying like a bass drum. Thalia noticed the music had stopped, and that Percy and Nico were on their feet staring intently at them.

"Urmm kinda, yeah." Thalia said looking back to the giant. The giant nodded at her, and then turned to Chiron, who in turn nodded back.

"Hey! Ya big lump, put me down, this suit is expensive, do you know who you're talking to?" The businessman cried as the giant walked towards the door.

"No." The giant rumbled as he walked towards the door. When he arrived at it, he simply opened it, and promptly threw the man out, closing the door behind him. He dusted off his hands, and then took his seat right next to the door, opened a book and became oblivious to the world. Chiron gestured for Thalia to come over and she obliged.

"Sorry about that, we always have an ass or two like that each night. Did he hurt you?" Chiron asked, his eyes focused on her, as his hands cleaned on of the many pumps.

"No, I'm fine, that guy got rid of him before I could deal with him." Thalia said glancing at the giant who was still immersed in his book. Chiron gave a short chuckle and replied.

"That's Argus, our bouncer; he's been working here since I started up the bar. He doesn't take kindly to anyone riling up any of our staff." Chiron then turned his eyes to the stage where Percy and Nico were still looking at them. Chiron gestured with a hand, and they nodded and started to play their music again much to the cheers of the patrons.

At that moment, the man with golden hair and the face of a model walked up to the bar. He glanced at Thalia, and winked cheekily at her, causing her to look away blushing.

"Hey, can you give this to the guys on stage when they finish up." He said passing a small card to Chiron. Chiron glanced at it, his eyebrows furrowed, he glanced up and the man, and then nodded grimly.

"Sure thing." He said tucking the card into his shirt pocket. The man nodded, and then his silver haired companion came to his side.

"Thanks for the great night; you'll be seeing us soon." She said and then placed a few notes into Percy and Nico's jar which Thalia noticed was nearly full of notes and coins. She then seemed to glide out of the door, with her gold haired companion following her. Thalia watched them go and then turned back to the bar, and then to the young men, still playing music. The notes had become a jolly jig, and several tables had been moved out of the way, and people were dancing.

"Is it always like this?" Thalia said to Grover who was passing. Grover flashed a wide grin to her and said.

"Always."

Thalia sighed. This place was rough as they come; the patrons were full of booze, tales and merriness, and were sometimes too touchy. The bouncer was a giant covered in tattoos of eyes. The barman was grim and deep looking, most of the time. The waiter was a complete clutz, and the entertainment was two mysterious looking guys. Thalia sighed again, _This place is perfect_ she thought to herself as she picked up her tray, and started clearing some empty tables.

**So what do you guys think? This is only the beginning; there'll be more drama, more characters introduced, and many, many more things to come. This chapter was only a starter, the story will delve deep into the lives of each of the characters, plus a digital cookie to who can tell me who the golden haired young man, and the silver hair young woman were, it's pretty easy to be honest ;)**

**I hope you all enjoyed it, please review, I need them to keep motivated, and if I recognise any reviewers from one of my other stories, I'll give you a digital cookie, and maybe a preview of the next chapter, of one off my stories of your pick ;)**

**Maximus signing off**

**PEACE OUT.**


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